LETTERS OF JOHN ANDREWS. 13
" a previous clearance from the office." — By the time he return'd -with this message the candles were light in [the] house, and upon reading it, such prodigious shouts were made, that indue'd me, while drinking tea at home, to go out and know the cause of it. The house was so crouded I could get no farther than y" porch, when I found the mod- erator was just declaring the meeting to he dissolved, which caused another general shout, out doors and in, and three cheers. What with that, and the consequent noise of hreaking up the meeting, you'd thought that the inhabitants of the infernal regions had hroke loose. For my part, I went contentedly home and finish'd my tea, hut was soon inform'd what was going forward : hut still not crediting it with- out ocular demonstration, I went and was satisfied. They muster'd, I'm told, upon Fort Hill, to the number of about two hundred, and proceeded, two hy two, to Griffin's wharf, where Hall, Bruce, and Coffin lay. each with 114 chests of the ill fated article on hoard ; the two former with only that article, but y' latter arriv'd at y e . wharf only y e . day before, was freighted with a large quantity of other goods. which they took the greatest care not to injure in the least, and before nine o'clock in v'. evening, every chest from on board the three vessels was kuock'd to pieces and flung over y c . sides. They say the actors were Indians from Narragansett. Whether they were or not. to a transient observer they appear'd as such, being cloath'd in Blankets with the heads muffled, and copper color'd countenances, being each arm'd with a hatchet or axe, and pair pistols, nor was their dialed different from what I conceive these geuiusses to speak, as their jargon was unintelligible to all but themselves. Not the least insult was offer'd to any person, save one Captain Conner, a letter of horses in this place, not many years since remov'd from dear Ireland, who had ript up the lining of his coat and waistcoat under tin' arms, and watch- ing his opportunity had nearly fill'd 'em with tea, but being detected, was handled pretty roughly. They not only stripp'd him of his cloaths, but gave him a coat of mud, with a severe bruising into the bargain ; and nothing but their litter aversion to make any disturbance pre- vented his being tar'd and feather'd.
Should not have troubled you with this, by this Post, hadn't I thought you would lie glad of a more particular account of so impor- tant a transaction, than you could have obtain'd hy common report ; and if it affords my brother but a temporary amusement. 1 shall be more than repaid for the trouble of writing it.
The weather as yet continues with us very mild and at the same
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